Socio-Economic Complexity at the Late Chalcolithic Site of Tell Helawa, Kurdistan Region of Iraq

Survey and excavation at Gird/Tell Helawa, a ca. 10-ha site located in the Erbil Plain, revealed an extensive LC 2-3 period (late 5th to mid-4th millennium BC) settlement, with domestic structures and at least one large building destroyed by fire, located on the top of the main mound. Several sealings bearing stamp seal impressions were found in the building, showing the presence of administrative activity at the site. The evidence from Helawa allows investigating the socio-economic organisation of a small-scale Late Chalcolithic community in Northern Mesopotamia in comparison with new evidence from on-going excavations and surveys in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.Les prospections et les fouilles arch\ue9ologiques de Gird/Tell Helawa, site d\u2019environ 10 ha dans la plaine d\u2019Erbil, ont r\ue9v\ue9l\ue9 une occupation extensive durant le Chalcolithique r\ue9cent 2-3 (Ve-IVe mill\ue9naires av. J.-C.), comportant des habitations et au moins un b\ue2timent monumental d\ue9truit par un incendie, situ\ue9 sur le sommet du tell. Un certain nombre de sceaux portant des empreintes de cachets ont \ue9t\ue9 trouv\ue9s dans le b\ue2timent, ce qui d\ue9montre l\u2019existence d\u2019activit\ue9s administratives en ce lieu. Les donn\ue9es de Helawa permettent l\u2019\ue9tude de l\u2019organisation socio-\ue9conomique d\u2019une petite communaut\ue9 du Chalcolithique r\ue9cent du Nord de la M\ue9sopotamie, en comparaison avec les r\ue9sultats des prospections et fouilles arch\ue9ologiques en cours au Kurdistan d\u2019Ira